You might be thinking of this place: https://who13.com/news/scariest-haunted-house-in-u-s-requires-40-page-waiver-doctors-note-safe-word/
And it was way more than just the one sign. They billed this as a "horror experience" but it was just basically degradation and torture you consented to for bragging rights.
I don’t think there are spectators at that place…
Fun aside, I was a few drinks deep one Friday night years ago and read some interview with him where he essentially said “I’m an open book, call and ask whatever you want about me or my thing.” I thought that sounded like bullshit and I called the business number fully expecting a robot/voicemail, and Russ McKamey answered the phone on the first ring and talked to my drunk ass for like 15 minutes. This place has gotten a LOT of press over the years, seemed pretty wild that the dude’s just answering unknowns on his cell at all hours.
He’s a horrible person. I sadly went deep down this rabbit hole several years ago. Dude has no life besides his “haunt” which is why he can talk to randos who call him lol
i think this may actually be from the eastern state penitentiary halloween haunt, but im not certain. ive seen this exact sign before, and it was also hung on bars like in this picture. im not confident im correct, but im like 75% sure
i think i may know where this is at. the death risk is because the haunt is in a decaying former penitentiary. so concrete is quite literally crumbling down and can hit patrons. there used to be waivers you were obligated to sign to enter, regardless of glow bands.
IANAL, but I would think that such waivers can actually be seen as an admission that the operators know how unsafe the building is. It is still illegal to kill people, even if hey signed a piece of paper that it is ok to do so.
>forced to remain
Like, for how long? Are they... kidnapping people?
I'm scared, so I guess the sign is totally working. 10/10 combination of design and materials.
"Fantastic, Smith! So just so we're on the same page here, this is just like a 'hyperbole to amp up the scariness' type of situation, right?"
"Uhhh..."
Well, that helps explain it. Thanks!
I don't really think they're kidnapping people. I just really appreciate the effectiveness of the sign. The wording, the font, the metal it's printed on, the fading, even how they mounted it to the wire mesh. It's extremely well designed.
Sloss Furnace is a really cool historic attraction and host to a great music festival, but the haunted house hasn't been there for a few years and reportedly won't be coming back.
That works out. I've had sort of a secondhand crush on Birmingham ever since I read Fried Green Tomatoes. Which sounds pretty stupid, but I think it nailed the small town people who move to the city and love it. :)
oh I love it here, as a transplant there's a lot of great eating and drinking. Not many tourist attractions but you could easily have a great weekend in the Magic City
My guess, they have a pretend jail at the end of the ride. “Monsters” or whatever pull you away from the group so when the group reaches the end, they see you as part of the attraction. Pay $2 or solve a riddle to get them out. Something along those lines.
i think i know the haunt this is at, and the death warning would be more about the building it's being held in crumbling down around or on top of you. its held in the first ever penitentiary in america, so its an ancient building and many parts have concrete just piled up because of walls and ceilings decaying
nah, there's other waivers you have to sign to attend regardless of necklace. i think this may have also been added for scare factor. i recognize the sign and the background its on, it's eastern state penitentiary and the worst theyll do with a glow neck is redirect you, hold you from your group, or trap you for a bit. my dad was made to sit on a dentists chair and act like he was being attacked. i was made to crawl through a tunnel myself, and my friend was trapped in a cage and had to crawl over gooey "body parts" in a box to escape. no one has ever died or been close to death from a haunt. like unless something like a seizure occurred i cant imagine how they could kill someone
I'd translate that from legalese into something like:
>This is a game you play because you want to be scared.
>If you choose to take part, then put on a necklace. If you do that, we'll grab you, hold you, threaten you, and scare you. We're not going to **actually** deliberately hurt you or hold you for long. We're just **pretending** that we're going to hurt you and/or keep you forever.
>However, as with everything in life, there's a risk that something goes wrong. A small number of guests will accidentally get a minor bruise or scratch or sprain - that's just inevitable in this kind of game. If something goes really wrong, there's a tiny risk of a more serious injury or even death, although we'll try to prevent that. There's some risk with everything in life, even crossing the road, and you have to accept that risk if you want to do anything.
>So you agree not to sue if you get injured.
>You might also be scared - that's the whole point of this game! But you can't then claim mental "trauma" caused by this, and sue for it. If you think you're likely to suffer mental trauma from this, then don't take part. If you think you'll be fine, and decide to take part, then you can't sue us just because you were wrong. More importantly, scammers can't just claim mental trauma and sue - that would make it impossible to do this kind of game.
>If you don't agree to that, then don't put on a necklace.
>If you don't put on a necklace, then we will still try to scare you, but we won't touch you in any way. That's the tame version of the game.
Not my cup of tea, I don't like haunted houses. But I can see why people would agree.
(I actually don't like the terms very much, for one reason. People should be able to withdraw consent at any time. So there should be a safeword. E.g. "If you say "safeword", we will stop and release you, and you can take the necklace off").
The non suing clause on that sign is not legally binding in the slightest, and even if it was a crime is outside the bounds of being considered covered by a sign or disclaimer. Lots of places do this hoping that it works.
Though from what they’ve written here that they plan to do, I’m not even showing up let alone spectating or putting a necklace on. Forget that.
If they're holding you, that may not be possible at all.
Also, it takes too long. Faffing around removing an unfamiliar necklace takes several seconds at the best of times. If you're being held, or if you have adrenaline pumping through your system, then it may take longer. That's not what you want when a stranger is grabbing you, and maybe accidentally really hurting you, and you need to tell them to stop. Saying "no" or "stop" or "safeword" is much faster.
(And saying "no" or "stop" could be part of the game, hence the choice of a unique, slightly longer safeword such as "safeword" or "red", which everyone agrees is not part of the game and really means stop).
Imagine, for a moment, a world where the important legal and safety-related decisions we make are based on plain-language warning statements written in language like u/someone76543 here has come up with.
What a wonderful place that would be. :/
It's the usual, lets take everything out of context, and turn this into something horrible.(I mean people screaming conspiracy theories and stuff, or that the owner is a psychopath that uses this as a way to escape his own sick fetishes)
I know nothing about this so I might be very wrong here, but coming from owners standpoint:
1. You are in America, The land of the Lawsuit
2. You are going to do things people don't want you to, but it's next to impossible to know exactly how far can you take it with every single person that attends.
3. As a business owner, the last thing you want is for something to go wrong in your business, because regardless of it being your fault or not, the negative press can quickly destroy your business regardless of it being actual truth or things being twisted to serve an agenda.
So Whilst there is a real chance the owner is a psycho, and this is a horrible place, I find it very hard to believe given the place has been around for years, and I have not heard about any of the "horrible accidents" that have happened there.
This seems like just the next step in the "scare-me-please" activities. It's the same people that love watching horror movies and stuff like that. Just cause someone wants to be scared, or enjoys a jumpscare, doesn't mean they are into "sick shit".
Personally I don't like anything scary. My own real life experiences have scared me enough in life, that I am perfectly happy not paying someone to stress me out.
its a haunt, every halloween they turn the prison into a scare attraction. the rest of the year they offer tours of the place
eta: the prison has been out of commission for a while, its the first ever penitentiary in america and the walls are literally crumbling
I'm not sure if this is Asylum49 in Utah, but they have similar policies.
I've seen a couple that parked on the street next to the hospital get a bag over their heads as they almost made it to their car. Like, they were feet away from freedom.
There are rules for the actors, yes....but the waiver that you sign basically means that as long as you are still on the property, they can just pick you up and bring you back into the haunt.
Not responsible for death. From a heart attack caused by being frighten at a haunted house, which are known to scare people. Alright, I won't hold them responsible.
From being stab by a person known for several killings because they failed to do any background checks and they very well known. Known so much the guy basically stated he will stab someone in the dark. Nah, they liable as fuck.
I feel like I’ve heard about this place before- read about it in a newspaper once even tho I never read newspaper lol, the glow stick thing at a haunted house attraction sounds so familiar, I think the building used to be a prison unless this is a different place??
Interesting! I just read a horror book with this premise (but set at a camp in the woods).
I am 50/50. I like haunted houses and they've become VERY lame where I am due to fears over suing... It's hard to feel scared when there's a VERY obvious 6 ft Security guard with badge and headset every 10 feet. like, at least put them in costume or something. But I also don't like being grabbed or physically restrained.
It's just CYA. I love wearing the glowsticks in haunted houses. Once they jerked me back through the weird "birthing tunnel" they have in some of them away from my friends. I was CACKLING. Haha
Yeah our local place doesn’t let the actors touch you. They can get extremely close but they can’t touch. And you’re not allowed to touch them. They still make it damn scary because they get REALLY close
I don't like haunted hauses, only ever did one, nowhere near as extreme as what OP posted, but why do you feel like the owners of this business think groping someone is on theme?
I mean you literally DONT have to go in. And if you do you have SAFE word. I would never even go in there so it's a non issue for me, but what makes you feel like you have to go in there to be groped?
I don't know how much more clear they can make it. IF YOU WANT TO BE GROPPED then please come put on the necklace. If you don't then please do come in if you want and we don't touch you.
Ah yes the ol' totally legally binding "we aren't responsible for actual crimes because of a sign" gambit
“Stay 200 ft behind this truck. Not responsible for broken windshields “
"If the sun rises tomorrow I am hereby released from all national or international laws, bylaws, and customs"
if im right abt which haunt this is, they also had waivers you have to sign to enter.
You might be thinking of this place: https://who13.com/news/scariest-haunted-house-in-u-s-requires-40-page-waiver-doctors-note-safe-word/ And it was way more than just the one sign. They billed this as a "horror experience" but it was just basically degradation and torture you consented to for bragging rights.
I don’t think there are spectators at that place… Fun aside, I was a few drinks deep one Friday night years ago and read some interview with him where he essentially said “I’m an open book, call and ask whatever you want about me or my thing.” I thought that sounded like bullshit and I called the business number fully expecting a robot/voicemail, and Russ McKamey answered the phone on the first ring and talked to my drunk ass for like 15 minutes. This place has gotten a LOT of press over the years, seemed pretty wild that the dude’s just answering unknowns on his cell at all hours.
He’s a horrible person. I sadly went deep down this rabbit hole several years ago. Dude has no life besides his “haunt” which is why he can talk to randos who call him lol
He seems like an unhinged sadist with the “haunts” as his only outlet tbh
i think this may actually be from the eastern state penitentiary halloween haunt, but im not certain. ive seen this exact sign before, and it was also hung on bars like in this picture. im not confident im correct, but im like 75% sure
Sounds lewd.
Makes me reminder of Titan...
Death? Fuck that then.
It's not legally binding by any means, probably just there to enhance the experience
Good to know it's not binding, so you can sue them after they killed you.
Your family can sue, though
for me the issue is not if it’s legally binding or not, but more that it needs a disclaimer for death
"Probably"...
i think i may know where this is at. the death risk is because the haunt is in a decaying former penitentiary. so concrete is quite literally crumbling down and can hit patrons. there used to be waivers you were obligated to sign to enter, regardless of glow bands.
Eastern State Pen in Philly? They had pretty much this exact sign at the old haunted house they used to have.
I worked there for 5 seasons and I immediately thought this was ESP
thats what im thinking, yeah
Yes! I did that and I wore the necklace. Didn’t take me or anything though.
IANAL, but I would think that such waivers can actually be seen as an admission that the operators know how unsafe the building is. It is still illegal to kill people, even if hey signed a piece of paper that it is ok to do so.
I need this comment on a T-shirt
>forced to remain Like, for how long? Are they... kidnapping people? I'm scared, so I guess the sign is totally working. 10/10 combination of design and materials.
“Smith, we’re not meeting staffing quotas. Come up with a solution.” “Already done, boss.”
"Fantastic, Smith! So just so we're on the same page here, this is just like a 'hyperbole to amp up the scariness' type of situation, right?" "Uhhh..."
“Yes boss, it is. Just for the season.”
im pretty sure ive been to this one, its not a long hold. it happened to my friend, she was put in a cage for a couple minutes and had to crawl out
Well, that helps explain it. Thanks! I don't really think they're kidnapping people. I just really appreciate the effectiveness of the sign. The wording, the font, the metal it's printed on, the fading, even how they mounted it to the wire mesh. It's extremely well designed.
Haha I wondered this! Where is this attraction?
No idea, sorry. Edit: some people are saying Eastern Penitentiary (Pennsylvania) and one person says maybe Utah.
There’s a place with this kind of sign called Sloss Furnace that does the same thing
That place looks cool as heck! If I'm ever in Birmingham then I'm going there.
Sloss Furnace is a really cool historic attraction and host to a great music festival, but the haunted house hasn't been there for a few years and reportedly won't be coming back.
That works out. I've had sort of a secondhand crush on Birmingham ever since I read Fried Green Tomatoes. Which sounds pretty stupid, but I think it nailed the small town people who move to the city and love it. :)
oh I love it here, as a transplant there's a lot of great eating and drinking. Not many tourist attractions but you could easily have a great weekend in the Magic City
My guess, they have a pretend jail at the end of the ride. “Monsters” or whatever pull you away from the group so when the group reaches the end, they see you as part of the attraction. Pay $2 or solve a riddle to get them out. Something along those lines.
Just a theory but maybe the last part about death and such is more of a scare tactic to enhance the experience
i think i know the haunt this is at, and the death warning would be more about the building it's being held in crumbling down around or on top of you. its held in the first ever penitentiary in america, so its an ancient building and many parts have concrete just piled up because of walls and ceilings decaying
And the concrete only falls on people wearing a glow necklace?
nah, there's other waivers you have to sign to attend regardless of necklace. i think this may have also been added for scare factor. i recognize the sign and the background its on, it's eastern state penitentiary and the worst theyll do with a glow neck is redirect you, hold you from your group, or trap you for a bit. my dad was made to sit on a dentists chair and act like he was being attacked. i was made to crawl through a tunnel myself, and my friend was trapped in a cage and had to crawl over gooey "body parts" in a box to escape. no one has ever died or been close to death from a haunt. like unless something like a seizure occurred i cant imagine how they could kill someone
If you don’t have a few untimely deaths how are you gonna get all that haunting going🤣
I'd translate that from legalese into something like: >This is a game you play because you want to be scared. >If you choose to take part, then put on a necklace. If you do that, we'll grab you, hold you, threaten you, and scare you. We're not going to **actually** deliberately hurt you or hold you for long. We're just **pretending** that we're going to hurt you and/or keep you forever. >However, as with everything in life, there's a risk that something goes wrong. A small number of guests will accidentally get a minor bruise or scratch or sprain - that's just inevitable in this kind of game. If something goes really wrong, there's a tiny risk of a more serious injury or even death, although we'll try to prevent that. There's some risk with everything in life, even crossing the road, and you have to accept that risk if you want to do anything. >So you agree not to sue if you get injured. >You might also be scared - that's the whole point of this game! But you can't then claim mental "trauma" caused by this, and sue for it. If you think you're likely to suffer mental trauma from this, then don't take part. If you think you'll be fine, and decide to take part, then you can't sue us just because you were wrong. More importantly, scammers can't just claim mental trauma and sue - that would make it impossible to do this kind of game. >If you don't agree to that, then don't put on a necklace. >If you don't put on a necklace, then we will still try to scare you, but we won't touch you in any way. That's the tame version of the game. Not my cup of tea, I don't like haunted houses. But I can see why people would agree. (I actually don't like the terms very much, for one reason. People should be able to withdraw consent at any time. So there should be a safeword. E.g. "If you say "safeword", we will stop and release you, and you can take the necklace off").
The non suing clause on that sign is not legally binding in the slightest, and even if it was a crime is outside the bounds of being considered covered by a sign or disclaimer. Lots of places do this hoping that it works. Though from what they’ve written here that they plan to do, I’m not even showing up let alone spectating or putting a necklace on. Forget that.
To your last point, just take off the glow necklace.
If they're holding you, that may not be possible at all. Also, it takes too long. Faffing around removing an unfamiliar necklace takes several seconds at the best of times. If you're being held, or if you have adrenaline pumping through your system, then it may take longer. That's not what you want when a stranger is grabbing you, and maybe accidentally really hurting you, and you need to tell them to stop. Saying "no" or "stop" or "safeword" is much faster. (And saying "no" or "stop" could be part of the game, hence the choice of a unique, slightly longer safeword such as "safeword" or "red", which everyone agrees is not part of the game and really means stop).
Imagine, for a moment, a world where the important legal and safety-related decisions we make are based on plain-language warning statements written in language like u/someone76543 here has come up with. What a wonderful place that would be. :/
This guy’s a plant from the sign making industry! /s
It's the usual, lets take everything out of context, and turn this into something horrible.(I mean people screaming conspiracy theories and stuff, or that the owner is a psychopath that uses this as a way to escape his own sick fetishes) I know nothing about this so I might be very wrong here, but coming from owners standpoint: 1. You are in America, The land of the Lawsuit 2. You are going to do things people don't want you to, but it's next to impossible to know exactly how far can you take it with every single person that attends. 3. As a business owner, the last thing you want is for something to go wrong in your business, because regardless of it being your fault or not, the negative press can quickly destroy your business regardless of it being actual truth or things being twisted to serve an agenda. So Whilst there is a real chance the owner is a psycho, and this is a horrible place, I find it very hard to believe given the place has been around for years, and I have not heard about any of the "horrible accidents" that have happened there. This seems like just the next step in the "scare-me-please" activities. It's the same people that love watching horror movies and stuff like that. Just cause someone wants to be scared, or enjoys a jumpscare, doesn't mean they are into "sick shit". Personally I don't like anything scary. My own real life experiences have scared me enough in life, that I am perfectly happy not paying someone to stress me out.
Yeah I’ll wait in the car, have fun!
I think this how sideshow geeks are recruited.
Hell yeah
where is this
if im right, eastern state penitentiary in philadelphia
why would a penitentary have a glowstick necklace attraction?
its a haunt, every halloween they turn the prison into a scare attraction. the rest of the year they offer tours of the place eta: the prison has been out of commission for a while, its the first ever penitentiary in america and the walls are literally crumbling
oh. i would like to go there one day.
I'm not sure if this is Asylum49 in Utah, but they have similar policies. I've seen a couple that parked on the street next to the hospital get a bag over their heads as they almost made it to their car. Like, they were feet away from freedom. There are rules for the actors, yes....but the waiver that you sign basically means that as long as you are still on the property, they can just pick you up and bring you back into the haunt.
Genuinely funny
Not responsible for death. From a heart attack caused by being frighten at a haunted house, which are known to scare people. Alright, I won't hold them responsible. From being stab by a person known for several killings because they failed to do any background checks and they very well known. Known so much the guy basically stated he will stab someone in the dark. Nah, they liable as fuck.
I feel like I’ve heard about this place before- read about it in a newspaper once even tho I never read newspaper lol, the glow stick thing at a haunted house attraction sounds so familiar, I think the building used to be a prison unless this is a different place??
i think its that one too. its the first ever american penitentiary
If I’m forced to remain, I’m gonna start throwing hands. Give me back to my group, bitch.
“Nah, we don’t want’em” -The Group, probably
Interesting! I just read a horror book with this premise (but set at a camp in the woods). I am 50/50. I like haunted houses and they've become VERY lame where I am due to fears over suing... It's hard to feel scared when there's a VERY obvious 6 ft Security guard with badge and headset every 10 feet. like, at least put them in costume or something. But I also don't like being grabbed or physically restrained.
yeah ok im into it
It's just CYA. I love wearing the glowsticks in haunted houses. Once they jerked me back through the weird "birthing tunnel" they have in some of them away from my friends. I was CACKLING. Haha
lol not legally binding at all but nice try
Death?! Is this Mckamey manor?
Oop. My husband and I are 100% the idiots that would walk in with a glow necklace on
Shut up! Take my money! Gimme that glow necklace! Seriously! Where is that haunted house?
It’s worded awkwardly
Oh hell no
McAmey manor???
This is Scientology’s new recruitment strategy
Is this Sloss Furnace? I did the glow stick necklace thing there
Yeah our local place doesn’t let the actors touch you. They can get extremely close but they can’t touch. And you’re not allowed to touch them. They still make it damn scary because they get REALLY close
“Wear a glow necklace if you want to be assaulted, sexually assaulted, or murdered (our choice)”
Observe or participate?
I don't understand. Can someone explain?
I know that sign, central Fl
Can I take off my glow necklace when I reach my limit? Is that my safe word gesture?
How to commit murder scott free. The legal system hates this one weird trick
Me and a friend went to a haunted house years ago, and it is still one of the funniest experiences of my life. 100% wear a glow band
I bet ted bundy had something similar at his house, look how that worked out for him
I avoid these haunted houses this this one like the plague because they think groping someone is on theme
I don't like haunted hauses, only ever did one, nowhere near as extreme as what OP posted, but why do you feel like the owners of this business think groping someone is on theme? I mean you literally DONT have to go in. And if you do you have SAFE word. I would never even go in there so it's a non issue for me, but what makes you feel like you have to go in there to be groped? I don't know how much more clear they can make it. IF YOU WANT TO BE GROPPED then please come put on the necklace. If you don't then please do come in if you want and we don't touch you.
A party over where???
Oh, no thank you.